Sunday, September 04, 2005

Y-the Last Man

"Y-the Last Man #36" is a stand-alone issue that follows the atrocious "Girl on Girl" story arc. Seriously, the reason I read this one so late was because I almost dropped this book following that story. I decided to give this one more issue a chance and...it's one of the best issues of the series thus far. The series overall has been good. Not great, but good. I think Brian K. Vaughan has the best intentions of making really interesting situations come out of Yorick's adventures. But, for the most part, they're just entertaining at best. There have been a few stories that have really wowed me, but "Girl on Girl" just fell flat into that category of one of the worst stories I've ever read in comics. Vaughan created this story with no interesting situations, with no interesting characters introduced and with surprises that left me rolling my eyes. I did not care what anyone's intentions were whatsoever, and I did not care to have two girls get together just so the nerdy fan boys could go "Whoa! Girl on girl action! Yes!" which seemed the only hook that they could bank on with this crappy story. BREATH OUT. Okay. That being said, I really do like Pia Guerra's art, and when it's put to good use, like in issue 36, I can just marvel at it. This one issue accomplishes more than the last ten issues of the series combined rather simply: it focuses on a character. To be precise, Beth, Yorick's girlfriend in Australia who, up until this point, I didn't care if he ever found but knew that it would be an ongoing plot point. This series would always beg the question, why won't Yorick just screw around with every girl around? They're all more than willing! (Well, until that whole S&M arc where the CIA agent gets him to talk about himself and his past, another great story that focuses on character, whereupon he goes and sleeps with a girl at a church soon after, then...well, tells the captain of the ship in "Girl on Girl" that he has a girlfriend again...whatever) Well, anyway, the reason for his semi-monogamy is this little blonde number, Beth, who is someone I personally warmed up to really quickly. In this simple story, Beth is tied up by aboriginals and forced into a sleep that induces visions. For the most part, we experience Beth's past and get to see her interact with Yorick. Their first meeting: Yorick-"Beth Deville. I had a dream about you last night." Beth-"Excuse me?" Yorick-"Don't worry, it wasn't sexual or anything. I dreamt you were, like, this fucked up super-hero, and you were rescuing me from a giant-" Beth-"Wait, who are you?" Well, I liked it anyway. Not only do we get to see tender moments between the two, but we get to see the moment where Beth's group in Australia gets hit by the plague, as well as a tender little moment between Beth and Yorick's sister Hero. It all works to bring this character, so lately introduced to the series, to a status of importance along with the other characters we've seen for thrity-five issues. And while these memories flash through her mind, she has visions, where things get a little strange. Not only do flashbacks blend in to each other, but images appear, like Yorick's bloody, plague-ridden face. It all culminates into a scenario where Beth is, indeed, saving Yorick from a giant Ampersand, having transformed into a superhero (Just like Yorick's dream when he first introduce himself). Beth is told by yorick that he is alive and she wakes up with this impression. Now, that being said, I'm not sure I sold you on the series based on it's sketchy record, nor do I know if I really want to sell you on it. I know I enjoy it, with times where I love it and times where I loathe it. It's up to you if you want to give it a try in the end. Just don't blame me if it dives back into "Girl on Girl" territory.

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